The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-06-16
DEATH TO HE DEVIL
DR.. Carroll's Deal Against Dram
Drinking.
The Dallas Platf orm in Prohibition
Paraphrase.

The simple fact that so distinguished a
speaker as Rev. DR.. Carroll, who Is &C
credited with the paternity of prohibition
in Texas, was billed to speak at Millett's
opera house, was in itself enough to fill
the house Saturday morning, aud 1t was
full-there or thereabouts, as a guessing
clerk would say. 1t was strong audience;
the ladies were in the majority to be sure,
but there were men "at roll call" as well
and plenty of them. On the stage with
DIR. Carroll were the following named
prominent citizens: Col. T. W. Folts,
Gen. W. R. Handy, Judge E. B. Turner,
Thad. Thompson, esq, Rev. Junius
Wilkins, DR.. A. N. Denton, Judge John G.
TONNES, of Georgetown; Judge j. B.
Rector, John B. Golf, esq, DR.. G. E.
Fisher, Judge j. E. Thomas, Rev. w. A.
Shaphard, General Hawthorne Rev. A.
Grant, Mr.. Scarborough, of Waco, and
others.
Dr. Morris introduced the speaker in
few we'll chosen words, and DIR. Carroll
appeared before his audience with ap-
plause.
In his introductory remarks he thus
stated the object of his visit to Austin:
'Ladies and Gentlemen-Allow me to
refer to the occasion of my presence IN
your city tomorrow. Something more
than three months ago, late in February
or quite early in March, as l recall the
time, I received from DR.. Waggener,
chairman of the faculty Of the State uni.
versity, a notification that l had been
selected to preach the baccalaureate SER
mon in connection with the commence
ment exercises of that institution.
This high honor, did not feel at lib
erty to decline. To my interest in the
State university, at once the pride of Aus
tin and of Texas, may be attributed the
fact of my presence here at this time.
come to fulfill this engagement of several
months standing.
One who has noted the prescience OF
the founders of our republic in making
provision for this institution, and who has
observed the developments by which that
prescience has become history, and who
from that history, as an outlook fore,
casts, with reasonable hope, a grand
fruition of future good to accrue from
this institution, will understand why as
Texan, may rejoice to visit our state
capital on such mission.
Since, however, this appointment was
made and accepted, there has arisen al
issue of great magnitude, which nov
largely absorbs public attention IN this
state.
NY own connection with this issue il
known to all men.
Having been invited by your count,
committee to deliver an addres
on prohibition, my only opportunity t.
comply with that request, is the presen
time, and this is why am here to day.
Hence, while this address to-day is al
incident of my visit here, and not tn
occasion of it, l have not felt at liberty t.
decline your courteous invitation.
DR.. Carroll then entered upon his ar
gument by disclaiming the necessity o
an amplifed discussion of the question
prohibition in Austin, when it was so wei
attended to at home. He laid his frs
proposition on the bed rock of assertion
that "the origin of the idea of the sup
preston of the liquor traffic is ex
clusively American" He said that anon
the Jews, thousands of years ago, idea
we're prevalent on the subject of temper
ance. The doctrine of the Koran ais
taught vague and indefnable lesso
upon the same topic, and in other cour
tries there were some laws to the same e1
feet, but prohibition as the idea Of re
ssricting a traffi, in liquor, was purel
American. It was not only American, br
it was southern. 1t was Cavalier and no
Puritan. One hurried years before Jei
ferson signed the Declaration of Ind
pendence, the colony of Virginia put int
their organic law a simon pure prohib
ton clause. DR.. Carroll then entere
into what was the chief part of the arg
ment of his speech, proof by readln
from Jefferson's work that 'Je
ferson had been taken body an
soul from the ti-prohibitionists." d
Carroll boosted that since he was four {
ten years old (the reporter did not cato
his words exactly and does not desire
misrepresent him) he had been a studel
of jefferson, but he had laid him aside
fifteen and had not had occasion to ref
to him again in critical way until tn
question had come up. He then set in
read from the letters of the distinguish
jefferson, and he fired squid after SOU
from his printed slips, all to show thu
jefferson, like every other sensible ma
was good prohibitionist!
The good doctor read from letters
Jefferson, Just as much as suited his pu
pose, and talked handsomely on I'll
selections which he made. He bioug
the sage's letters to the poor Indians al
the deal of point that was maj
upon Thomas Jefferson's |
dian prohibition policy W
simply magni6que. Between elaborate
of the idea that prohibition was America
that it was southern; that it had
birth in Virginia; that it was Cavalier al
not Puritan-between these points al
the establishment, by excerpts from Jeff
son that that good old gentleman W
a red-hot and rampant prohibition
the doctor consumed the greater part
his time. He however took time enoul
to pay his respects to a few of the ST
issues, and in the course OF his argume
to declare himself liberalist. He charg
Judge Gus Cook with having said
Waco, III his speech there, that
man could be pr6hibitionist and Chr
tian gentleman at the same time. He d
not think so, and he would not say SO
the anti-prohibitionists, because it wou
not be true. He believed there we're null
bars of anti-prohibitionists who were go
Christians.
Concluding his speech, the doctor rec
the following clever pariphrase, on I
platform of the Dallas convention:
"We shall never see its like again
Yes feIlow citizens, when in after az